Hockey programs will merge

Florida has seen several of its Tier I youth teams advance to the national championships, but none has been able to win at that elite level.

The reasons are not complex.

For starters, Florida has a modest number of top-caliber players that are are thinly spread among a few programs.

Also, many of Florida's best hockey players opt to go north, where they see more opportunities to advance.

Consequently, the few Florida teams that advanced to the USA Hockey Tier I national championships were simply not deep enough to be competitive.

"We'd go to nationals with just two Tier I lines, going up against teams with four [Tier I] lines," said Rick Gardella, president of the South Florida Golden Wolves.

Gardella's Golden Wolves and the Florida JR. Panthers have taken multiple Tier I entries to nationals.

The JR. Panthers are based at Incredible Ice, the home of the Florida Panthers, and represent the NHL team at the youth level. The Golden Wolves play at Pines Ice Arena.

In the past, the two organizations competed over the same talent pool.

"Half the good ones were over there [at Incredible Ice], half were here," Gardella said.

Gardella and Steve Lynch, Golden Wolves hockey director, determined that a change was in order. Their solution: the Florida JR. Panthers and Golden Wolves should merge their efforts, creating one Tier I program.

The goal was to develop a Tier I program that could compete at the national level, while giving Florida's top players a reason to remain at home.

"Steve and I wrote a proposal and presented it to [the JR. Panthers]," Gardella said.

The proposal only called for the two clubs to unite in developing a Tier I program. In all other respects, the two clubs would continue to function independently.

The clubs agreed to join forces, Gardella said, with the Florida Panthers becoming involved as a sponsor.

Statewide Amateur Hockey of Florida, the state's governing body for hockey, has sanctioned the Panthers Alliance, as well as the Estero-based Florida Everblades AAA organization, as Tier I nationals-bound programs.

Tryouts for the Tier I Florida Panthers Alliance teams were conducted April 28-May 9, at Pines Ice Arena and Incredible Ice. Practices will be split between the two rinks, and Alliance coaches also are evenly drawn from the two organizations.

The Florida Panthers Alliance Tier I teams will make their debut in the fall.

Florida Panthers Alliance coaching staff:

Pee-Wee Minor '97: Coaches to be announced;

Pee-Wee Major: Kameron Brothers;

Bantam Major: Carlos Assayag, assisted by Rob Tallas;

Midget Under-16: Steve Lynch, assisted by Rick Gardella;

Midget Under-18: Tim Kyrkostas, assisted by Vlad Cheremeta.

Boca on a roll

The Boca Raton Youth Roller Hockey program just concluded its spring season, the second of two seasons conducted each year by the city at Sugar Sand Park. The first season runs from November to February, and the second runs from March to May.

The recently completed season featured 10 teams playing in three age divisions, including 6-8, 9-12 and 13-16. Next season, the league's youngest division will be expanded to include 5-year-olds, said program director Kevin Beckman.

Since roller hockey is a city recreational program, there are no standings or league playoffs. But competition was evenly balanced, as reflected in the final game of the 9-12 Division.

The Maple Leafs edged the Junior Gators 4-3, with goalie Jared Franco making more than 25 saves to earn the win. The Leafs' attack was paced by Alec Hammers, with two goals and an assist, while Danielle Dobrin and Brendan Feingold added a goal each.

The Maple Leafs won the majority of their games this season, lifted by scoring leaders Jamie Brecher, Santiago Holguin, Feingold, Dobrin and Hammers. The team got solid two-way play from Craig Kistner, Justin Bergman, Christian Fesdjian, Bradley Feingold, Peter Novothy and Connor McCarthy.

Franco, who averaged more than 23 saves per game, was "the defensive backbone of the team," said coach Mike Murgatroy.

Registration for the Fall-Winter season will be 9 a.m.-noon Aug. 16 and Sept. 13 at the Sugar Sand Park Field House. For information, call Beckman at 561-347-3908.

Registrations, etc.

SHARP SHOOTERS MITE TRYOUTS: The Glacier Sharp Shooters travel hockey organization has announced a tryout for its 2008-09 Mite team, to be coached by Michael Schleien. The tryout will be at 6:30 p.m. June 10 at Glacier Ice and Snow Arena, 4601 N. Federal Highway, Pompano Beach. Players born 2000-01 are encouraged to participate. The tryout fee is $50. Interested players are asked to pre-register at the rink or at www.flsharpshooters.com.